Twenty battery-electric trucks will haul NHS supplies and other goods across UK roads for 12 months, with every kilometre, charge cycle, and energy use logged in real time. The trial tackles a practical gap: fleet operators lack hard data on how electric trucks perform under real working conditions—range in winter, payload limits, charging downtime, and total running costs versus diesel. Without this evidence, many operators hesitate to switch. If successful, the project will produce a public website and reports that give any fleet manager the tools to specify, finance, and operate battery-electric trucks. That includes guidance on selecting battery size, matching chargers to routes, managing high-voltage safety training, and calculating total cost of ownership. The data will also show how refrigerated bodies—powered by the truck’s own battery via an e-PTO—perform in NHS supply chain duties. The impact is on a system most people never see: the logistics network that stocks hospitals, supermarkets, and warehouses. Replacing diesel trucks with electric ones in this fleet could cut urban air pollution and carbon emissions, but only if operators trust the numbers. This trial provides those numbers.
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Leyland Trucks, working with its programme partners including NHS, will manufacture and deploy 20 DAF LF Electric Trucks in a Demonstration Battery Electric Truck Trial (BETT) project. It will cover various operations and duty cycles during a 12-month trial to show the benefits of running electric trucks. The DAF LF Electric has a Gross Vehicle Weight of 19 tonnes and uses a 250kW Permanent Magnet motor powered by high cycle 254kWh Lithium Ferro Phosphate batteries to deliver a targeted range of 220km from a single charge. It can recharge either from an AC charger at 22kW or from a DC charging station at up to 150kW. All vehicles will be fitted with data logging equipment to allow key vehicle parameters to be logged. Working with data analysis partner CENEX, this operational data will be used to publish reports on vehicles in operation. CENEX will also use the project data to support the generation of a website to inform vehicle operators about the benefits of running battery electric trucks, with the aim of influencing their future vehicle purchasing decisions. This interactive report and website will cover: * Explaining how to select the appropriate technical specification for battery electric trucks, * Defining how operations and duty cycles might influence vehicle selection, * Supplying information on expected vehicle performance and operation envelopes, * Details on the 'total cost of ownership' approach and financing, * Charging infrastructure information including costs and connecting to the grid, * Defining vehicle charging options, from slow to rapid charging, * Training requirements for organisations, including management of High Voltage systems, * Fleet management, repair, and maintenance issues pertaining to Electric Trucks. As part of the project, all required charging infrastructure will be provided. PACCAR Parts will supply PACCAR-branded charging stations manufactured by ABB. The specific model of charging station will be matched to the customer's specific duty cycles for each of the 20 vehicles and will range from slow 22kW AC wall boxes to rapid 180kW DC charging stations. ABB will manage their installation. The vehicles will be fitted with a mixture of bodies, from Leyland Trucks manufactured box bodies to Gray & Adams refrigerated bodies meeting NHS Supply Chain specifications. The refrigerated vehicles will be equipped with an e-PTO to export electric power from the vehicle to drive the electrically powered chiller unit.
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